California police thought man they shot had gun

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The police chief of Bakersfield, California, says an unarmed 73-year-old man was refusing to take his hand out of his pocket when he was shot by an officer who thought he had a gun because of a 911 call.

Chief Lyle Martin said at a news conference Tuesday night that an officer in his second year, Reagan Selman, fired seven shots at Francisco Serna about 30 seconds after arriving. Martin says six other officers had also arrived but only Selman fired.

The chief says a woman in Serna's neighborhood had spotted Serna in her driveway, and she told her boyfriend that she thought he had what looked like a gun. When the boyfriend called 911, he just said Serna had a gun without expressing doubt.

The chief says the woman pointed at Serna when officers arrived, and he was shot when he wouldn't comply with police commands, including that he take his hand out of his jacket pocket.